For years, our family tradition was visiting Emma Krumbee’s Apple Orchard in Belle Plaine, MN. My mom and I used to drive out there every fall just for their delicious apple pie. Once I got married and my oldest daughter came along, it quickly turned into an annual tradition, picking apples and wandering through their scarecrow festival. Sadly, Emma Krumbee’s never seemed to recover after COVID and closed in 2023. By that time, though, we were already searching for a new favorite orchard of our own.
It took a few tries, but we finally found our perfect spot at Applewood Orchard in Lakeville. The staff is always so welcoming, and the variety of apples is endless, whether you want to pick your own or grab some pre-picked. There are extras too: corn maze, jumping pillow, corn pit, hayride, sunflower field, pumpkin patch, and even a playset area for the littles. It's hard to resist their treats, apple pies and caramel apples especially.
I believe their small bags for apple picking were $6, or you can do what we did and buy by the pound.
Every fall, visiting an orchard together means more than just apples. For us, it’s about tradition, time spent as a family, and soaking up all the cozy autumn activities.
At home, the apples don’t last long. My oldest daughter always requests homemade applesauce, and I usually make it in the crockpot. Her favorite is a spiced applesauce recipe from AllRecipes:
8 apples, peeled, cored, and sliced thin
½ cup water
¾ cup brown sugar
½ tsp pumpkin pie spice
I prefer the no-sugar version from The Wooden Skillet.
5–6 lbs apples, peeled and sliced
¼ cup water
¼ tsp nutmeg
Pinch of ground cloves
Pinch of kosher salt
1–2 cinnamon sticks
To make things easier, I use my Norpro Apple Master (with a vacuum base). It peels, cores, and slices in one go, super handy. I found mine at Fleet Farm years ago and it is still holding up.
My go-to apple variety for sauce is Sweet Tango. I’ve experimented with others, but Sweet Tango has the perfect balance of sweet and tart.
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